Origin of Midwest City/Choctaw fire still unknown

 
From Staff Reports | Modified: April 14, 2009 at 5:04 pm | Published: April 14, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment


Five days after a fire that destroyed an estimated 70 homes in the Midwest City/Choctaw area, fire investigators are still not sure if the search for an origin will turn into a criminal investigation.

photo - Winston Barton, center, talks to Valerie and Matt Waxenfelter in front of a destroyed home in the Oakwood East Royale neighborhood Tuesday morning. By Jim Beckel.
Winston Barton, center, talks to Valerie and Matt Waxenfelter in front of a destroyed home in the Oakwood East Royale neighborhood Tuesday morning. By Jim Beckel.

Multimedia

Videoview all videos

FEMA tours damage thumbnail

FEMA tours damage

Apr 14Teams examined sites throughout Oklahoma and began to...

Family of injured firefighter thumbnail

Family of injured firefighter

Apr 13The family of injured firefighter David Milby talks with...

Couple talks about losing possessions to flames thumbnail

Couple talks about losing possessions to flames

Apr 13Carrie and Kenneth Wertz talk about the local wildfires...

Fire Investigation thumbnail

Fire Investigation

Apr 10FIre officials say the fire in Midwest City was...

NewsOK Related Articles

Midwest City Fire Marshal Jerry Lojka said his department is confident the fire was intentionally set, because investigators have ruled out any normal accidental causes. But that doesn’t mean the spread of the fire was not accidental, he said.

“Any fire investigation involves a process of elimination,” Lojka said. “And once you can eliminate the accidental causes it allows you to move on to something else. This was a people set fire. The question is exactly how and why. Honestly, it may have been a mistake, but we don’t know that yet.”

Lojka said his investigators continue to work with police and independent insurance investigators to track down leads on the origin of the fire, but that process could take some time.

“Since we haven’t established the fact that this is a criminal investigation, there are certain things we’re not going to do until that has been determined,” he said.

Page 1 of 2



If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman's Opinion section, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Ads by Yahoo!

Woman is 57 But Looks 25
Mom reveals simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
www.HealthJournalsReview.com
New Rule in CALIFORNIA:
(MAY 2013): If You Pay For Car Insurance You Better Read This...
www.ConsumerFinanceDaily.com

News Photo Galleriesview all